The Hawks came into Oklahoma City two nights after a 114-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Atlanta played the Thunder on their final game of their six-game road trip but could not finish strong. Atlanta split the road trip 3-3.
The Thunder got out to an early 13-7 lead, but the Hawks would stage a rally led by Pero Antic. His three-point game was extremely effective in the first half as he recently had a bad shooting slump. Russell Westbrook started 0 for 2 but a one handed dunk put OKC up, 16-7. A fast break by Jeff Teague and two free throws made it a 20-16 game with 5:17 left. Antic then cut it to 20-18 on his own free throws. Pero Antic hit a three that cut it to 34-30. Dennis Schroder then knocked down a three to make it a one point game at 34-31. The Hawks hit four out of their last seven shots and then a Paul Millsap layup got the Hawks the lead at 35-34 at the end of the first quarter.
The Hawks got five points from Antic early in the second quarter, and it was a 40-38 game. Atlanta would create a 17-4 run. Anthony Morrow's three free throws got OKC the lead at 41-40, but that would quickly end on a Schroder three ball. Kent Bazemore tacked on three points to the lead that made it 48-43. A layup by Dion Waiters cut it to 50-47. He had 16 points in the first half. Russell Westbrook made a few trips to the free-throw line in the final minute and a half of the second quarter, but the Hawks led, 68-61. Pero Antic had 18 points and Russell Westbrook had 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while Antic was 4 of 5 from three.
The Thunder cut the lead to seven early in the third quarter off of a couple Dion Waiters free throws. DeMarre Caroll then put Atlanta up, 81-69, on a pair of free throws with 7:20 left. A Nick Collison three pointer cut the deficit to 81-76. The Hawks got their double-digit lead back on a three pointer by Dennis Schroder to make it a 88-78 game with 3:26 left. Anthony Morrow caught the three-point bug late in the third quarter, and it played a pivitol role in Oklahoma City's rally. He cut the deficit to 91-81. A pair of Russell Westbrook free throws made it a 95-90 game at the end of the third quarter. The Hawks had no answer for him all game long as he was a one man wrecking crew.
Russell Westbrook quickly made it a two-point game at 95-92 early in the fourth quarter. OKC went on a 9-0 run. Al Horford ended The Thunder's momentum with a mid-range jumper that made it 97-92. Anthony Morrow shot lights out the rest of the way. A three-ball to make it 103-99 with under eight minutes left in the game. Another three pointer by him made the score 103-102 with 7:20 left. A blocked shot on Westbrook by Paul Millsap would then translate into a Dennis Schroder layup. Westbrook soon tied the game at 105. Anthony Morrow nailed a three pointer that gave the Thunder the lead at 108-105 and would hold on to that for the rest of the game. The Thunder was on a 14-2 run as it soon turned into a 10-point OKC lead at 115-105. The Thunder coasted the rest of the way. Russell Westbrook finished with 36 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds. He was 17 of 17 from the free-throw line. Pero Antic came off the bench and led all Hawks' scorers with a career-high 22 points.
The Hawks now stand at 53-16 and still first in the East. They have a nine-game lead for first in the East on the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will take on the San Antonio Spurs at home on March 22nd. The Thunder improved to 39-30 and eighth in the West. They are fighting to maintain that last playoff spot as they are dealing with the absences of Serge Ibaka to knee surgery for four to six weeks and Kevin Durant being out indefinitely with a foot injury. Oklahoma City will take on the Miami Heat at home on March 22nd. Miami is currently on a three-game winning streak with wins coming against the Cavs and Portland Trail Blazers.